Admission
An online application must be submitted to the Graduate Admissions Office. A departmental application (MPH data form), a statement of the applicant’s educational and career goals, Graduate Record Examination scores, and three rating forms are required. Admission to the University of Tennessee Graduate School is also required for admission to the MPH program. Preferential consideration for admission to degree status shall be given to those with a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 and with at least one year of professional experience in a health-related occupation. As a restricted program, non-degree admission requires program director recommendation.
Application deadlines for completed applications are:
February 1, for summer term.
April 1, for fall semester.
October 1 for spring semester - NOTE: spring admission is open to new part-time students only.
New full-time students will not be considered for spring admission.
Admission forms are available at http://graduateadmissions.utk.edu/apply.shtml and http://publichealth.utk.edu/prospective/apply/.
The MPH is a non-thesis program requiring completion of 42 credit hours of graduate course work including nine weeks of field practice. The field internship provides a full-time experience with an affiliated health agency or organization offering one or more health programs. Of importance, field practice allows the student to apply academic theories, concepts, and skills in an actual work setting.
Graduate study with a major in public health leads to the Master of Public Health (MPH). Three professional preparation concentrations are available – community health education, health policy and management, and veterinary public health. Preparation for professional practice in improving community health emphasizes a population perspective, service-learning and application opportunities through rigorous internships.
The MPH program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
Requirements
| |
Credit Hours |
| 1 Public Health Foundations |
20 |
| 2 Concentration of Study (Community Health Education, Health Policy and Management, or Veterinary Public Health) |
10-13 |
| 3 Electives |
3-6 |
| 4 Internship |
6 |
| |
Total 42 |
1 Public Health Foundation courses: PUBH 509 (2 credit hours.) PUBH 510 , PUBH 520 , PUBH 530 , PUBH 537 , PUBH 540 , PUBH 555 .
2 Community Health Education: PUBH 536 , PUBH 550 , PUBH 552 .
Health Policy and Management: PUBH 525 , PUBH 527 , PUBH 526 , PUBH 612 .
Veterinary Public Health: Comparative and Experimental Medicine CEM 506 , CEM 611 , and either CEM 507 OR CEM 508 .
3 Listings of electives specific for each concentration are available in MPH program office.
4 Internship: PUBH 587 , PUBH 588 . Written guidelines stipulating eligibility criteria and expectations are available.
Students are required to pass a MPH comprehensive exam.
NOTE: To meet program requirements, students must select courses in consultation with an assigned program advisor. Program totals are minimums and some students may be required to complete additional course work to overcome background deficiencies.
Accelerated MPH-DVM Program - Public Health / Veterinary Medicine Major
Students must be currently enrolled in the professional DVM degree program at the University of Tennessee (DVM students) to enter the dual DVM-MPH program; all requirements for both the DVM and MPH degrees must be met for admission. DVM students may enroll in the program at any time during years 1 - 3, but progress and time to completion will be affected by when a student starts the dual program and how many courses are satisfactorily completed each semester. Students will be expected to complete MPH-specific courses during the two summers following the first and second years of veterinary school. Students will pay graduate tuition fees during the summer semester and professional DVM tuition during the fall and spring semesters. Degrees do not need to be awarded simultaneously; if a student has not completed the requirements for the MPH, the student may still receive the DVM but must complete the MPH requirements within one year to take advantage of the shared credits. If a dual student completes the MPH requirements, but does not complete the DVM, the student may still be awarded the MPH.
All core courses for the MPH program and requirements for the DVM program must be completed. Dual MPH-DVM students must also complete CEM 611 , CEM 506 , and EITHER CEM 507 or CEM 508 . An additional 2 elective credits approved by the advisor must also be completed.
Approved Dual Credit
Seven credits from the DVM program can be shared between the two degrees and applied to the MPH total credit count. These seven credits can be shared from any of the following courses: VMD 833 /VMP 833 , VMD 836 /VMP 836 , VMD 837 , VMD 864 , VMD 867 /VMP 871 , or VMD 897 /VMP 874 . Eight credits from the MPH program can be shared between the two degrees and applied to the DVM total credit count as electives. These eight credits can be shared from any of the following courses: CEM 506 , CEM 507 , CEM 508 , PUBH 587 , or PUBH 588 .
